Synesthesia and Empathy

Think about the last time you watched someone take a bad fall or listened to a friend grind his or her teeth. For a split second, you cringe at the thought of physically feeling what they must feel. In a sense, we all empathize to some degree with the physical feelings of others. For an individual with mirror-touch synesthesia, however, the area of the brain that creates this empathy is hyperactive. These individuals don’t just cringe at the thought of comparable pain, but they might actually feel it themselves.

It’s an extraordinary thought, isn’t it? – your own sense of touch being activated by watching what’s happening to someone else. In this article from LiveScience, two mirror-touch synesthetes talk about their experiences and how this accentuated empathy has shaped their lives. I found Jane’s quote to be particularly interesting:

Another, Jane, said she felt her synesthesia is “a positive thing because I believe it makes me more considerate about the feelings of others.”

For non-synesthetes, like me, the best way to relate to this sentiment might be to think about pains or ailments we’ve suffered and how those experiences have shaped the way we empathize when others have similar misfortune. For instance: I’ve never broken a bone, so I’m not sure that I can truly empathize with someone who does. I just can’t be certain of what it feels like. On the other hand, I have had a pretty deep flesh cut – so when I observe someone accidentally cut themselves when chopping up lettuce, I can certainly empathize with the sting.

Are You a Mirror-Touch Synesthete?

While the answer to this question might be painfully obvious (pun fully intended), there are actually tests for this type of synesthesia. One of them, wherein a sensory interference task is used to verify the presence of mirror-touch, is described here (complete with a nice diagram). Another, which involves the user of fMRI, is discussed at length here.

Piggybacking off of the first test I linked, we might design a simple synesthesia test ourselves. You’ll need two friends to help you – one standing behind you and the other in front of you. On the count of three, have the friend that you can see place a finger on one cheek, both cheeks, or neither cheek. At the same time, have the friend behind you place a finger on one of your cheeks, both of your cheeks, or neither cheek. At the end of each trial, have the friend behind you record what you felt (left cheek, right cheek, both, or neither), along with what each of the two friends physically did. You can label them “visible friend” and “non-visible friend,” or something like that.

Repeat this process as many times as you’d like (try 50 or so to start), having your friends switch up their finger placements throughout the process. Once you have a nice collection of data, sit down and do some analysis. How many times did you feel that both cheeks were being touched when the visible friend was touching his or her right cheek and the non-visible friend was touching your left? Were there times when you felt that both cheeks were being touched, when in reality neither was? There are a range of possible combinations here, so it could get messy. Just something interesting to try on a rainy day!

That’s all for now, though. As always, we encourage you to share your mirror-touch experiences in the comments below! Catch ya later!

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*Image from Time.com

Not bad, is it? To each his or her own, I guess. Anyways, it turns out that Taylor isn’t the only popular artist who’s tangled color and emotion in song. While some of you may actually experience emotion-color synesthesia, artists find the metaphor to be an incredible lyrical device. Whole songs (and in this case, albums) can hinge on the relationship between color and emotion. Let’s look at three examples, starting with ‘Red’.

1. ‘Red‘ from Taylor Swift’s Album Red (2012)

Grapheme-color synesthetes may relate the color red with the letter ‘A’, the number ’1′, or other objects/words in the graphemic spectrum. (This young synesthete spells out her red perceptions in a YouTube video.) Emotion-color synesthetes, on the other hand, might involuntarily perceive emotions – perhaps anger, aggression, jealousy, love – as having the color red. This is subjective, of course. Love isn’t red for everyone!

In ‘Red’, Taylor Swift’s use of this emotion-color metaphor comes through clearly in the first two lines of the chorus:

Losing him was blue like I’d never known
Missing him was dark grey all alone

Pretty powerful stuff, isn’t it? The metaphor appears again in the hook’s emphatic finish.

Loving him was red

Whether Taylor Swift is synesthetic or not, she does a good job of bringing the real experiences of some alive for her many listeners. Bravo!

2. ‘Blue (Da Ba Dee)’ from Eiffel 65′s Album Europop (1999)

Perhaps one of the more polarizing dance songs of our time, Eiffel 65′s ‘Blue’ took the use of color in song to an entirely new place. To this day, the color blue must invoke some sort of subconscious singsong in my mind’s periphery. It’s catchy; there’s no denying it. Have a listen. I’ll apologize ahead of time if you find yourself trying to make sense of the nonsensical chorus.

Too many things are blue in this song, so I won’t list them all. However, as blue is the color perhaps most frequently associated with emotion (typically sadness, loneliness, etc.), we come to associate these emotions with the song’s subject. These lyrics help to fortify the assumption:

Blue are the words I say and what I think
Blue are the feelings that live inside me

Nothing like dancing to the sad (albeit uppity) song of another person, eh? Well – I’m not sure about that. What I do know is that – should there come a day when (for whatever reason) I need to scrawl ‘Eiffel 65′ on a piece of paper – I’ll be inclined to do so with a blue ink pen. In my mind, they’ve forever aligned themselves with this color.

3. ‘Yellow‘ from Coldplay’s Album Parachutes (2000)

Now on the last example, I realize that, at one point or another, I’ve listened to each of these songs in rather irresponsible repetition – to the point of temporary ruination, even. Still, I have a certain appreciation for each of them – Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ included. Smooth vocals. Catchy riff. I’ll catch you on the other side of the song.

Pretty great, isn’t it? While Wikipedia indicates that the use of the color yellow may be completely arbitrary, I can’t help but think that it fits the mood of the song perfectly. Ostensibly, the song’s lyrics qualify the unrequited love of the band’s lead vocalist. Unrequited love seems yellow to me (a non-synesthete); how ’bout you?

Here’s a selection from the lyrics:

So then I took my time
Oh what a thing to’ve done
And it was all yellow

Whether yellow was chosen arbitrarily or not, I can’t help but appreciate its thematic presence throughout the song. Unrequited love is yellow, folks.

–

We’ve reached the end of our examples. I hope you’ve enjoyed the music. I encourage emotion-color synesthetes (hopefully you come in droves – ha!) to share their experiences with emotion and color. As previous post comments have shown, you tend to learn a lot from one another! Also, it provides great insight for all of us non-synesthetes. The floor is yours!

Contribute to Research Remotely

Lucky for all of you proximity-plagued folks, there are awesome opportunities for remote participation. One such opportunity – provided by the St. Louis Synesthesia Research Team (a lab directed by Dr. Berit Brogaard) – requires that you simply share your experiences with the research lab via email. An easy way to make an impact on research in the fields of neuroscience and synesthesia; all it takes to begin is one email.

Additionally, the St Louis-based lab (with collaborators around the globe) provides three different 10-question surveys that synesthetes can fill out online. The surveys are titled: Advanced Synesthesia, Migraine Aura and Synesthesia, and Special Talents. Check ‘em out. Fill ‘em out. Become a remote contributor!

An Interview with Kristian Marlow

Kristian Marlow, a graduate student at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and point-of-contact for the research lab, was kind enough to answer five questions that we posed about synesthesia and research. Frankly, I was blown away by his genuineness and thoroughness in his responses. I can’t urge you enough to read on.

1. Why did you become interested in researching synesthesia?

Synesthesia research is actually a pretty recent addition to my life. A few years ago I started to become very interested in the philosophy of perception. In this discipline, a lot of time is spent trying to find empirical evidence that supports or undermines certain theories of how the mind works. I learned that research on synesthesia offers particularly good empirical evidence in these types of disputes. As I studied synesthesia, I kept coming across questions I thought I could solve and since then have spend a lot of time constructing experiments to satisfy my interests. We have a few studies coming out this that that hopefully will address some of the big research questions.

2. What is the most interesting type of synesthesia you’ve encountered?

Not being a synesthete myself, I find all types of synesthesia fascinating, from the most common types like week-color and grapheme-color synesthesia to uncommon ones like motion-sound or person-taste synesthesia. Researchers like me find that no two synesthetes are exactly alike, which is interesting in itself. But some synesthetes have experiences that are incredibly unique. One of our case studies, Jason Padgett, has visual experiences of well-formed formulas. He’s spent a lot of time drawing these and actually sells the drawings as art. They really are beautiful. It turns out that some of these drawings approximate the same patterns that have only recently become producible on computers. A while back, we did functional MRIs of JP’s brain and found that visual imagery from well-formed formulas is processed in a completely different part of the brain than is normally associated with visual imagery. That unexpected result was really cool.

Another one of our case studies, Lidell Simpson, has always heard sounds associated with motion. He was born profoundly deaf and only started using hearing aids when he was diagnosed with mixed hearing loss at the age of 5. There is a debate among researchers whether the mind can generate true sounds without any auditory stimuli, but this seems to be a clear case where that has happened. He also hears a “ping” associated with everyone he knows. He has found friends in crowded spaces just by following the pings.

One other extraordinary case is that of Derek Amato. He hit his head on the bottom of a pool and awoke 3 days later able to compose classically structured music, even though he has no formal musical training. He constantly sees different colored blocks move across his visual field. He plays the piano by following these blocks with his fingers and has become pretty famous for this extraordinary talent.

3. Which special synesthete talents show up most frequently?

Synesthetes are most often found in the arts. Many famous painters and musician are synesthetes. We don’t really know why this is the case. These synesthetes often claim that their synesthesia helps them with their art. There have been a few cases where synesthesia can be very helpful for long-term memorization and mathematical calculation, but that appears to be rare.

4. Who is your favorite famous synesthete? Why?

I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a favorite famous synesthete. It’s Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian painter and art theorist. From the moment I first came across “Composition IV” as a freshman in high school, I knew that my goal was to have that painting hanging in front of my desk. I would later learn that his paintings sell for upwards of $20M. Historians believe that Kandinsky painted his synesthetic imagery. I was so pleased to learn this fact about such a brilliant artist. How fascinating is it that such beauty can emerge from synesthesia?

5. What is the best way to get involved in synesthesia research?

There is a lot of uncharted territory that researchers are starting to cover. Many synesthetes get involved because they are interested in learning more about why they have these experiences. But the truth is we aren’t even close to knowing why. The easiest way to get involved is through an academic institution with a lab already studying synesthesia, usually made up of philosophers or neuroscientists (although faculty from other disciplines study it as well).

Some labs are well-known for their work on their topic. These include the St. Louis Synesthesia Research Team at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Eagleman Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. But you don’t have to be at an academic institution to take part in research. There are many books on the subject (a list is available on our team’s blog) and there are events held through organizations such as the American Synesthesia Association. And, of course, our team is always looking for synesthetes to participate in studies.

Incredible stuff, right? I’d like to extend a personal thank you to Kristian (and his lab) for the contribution. And, in closing, I’ll encourage any synesthetes out there to head on over to the team’s website and (if you fancy so) to participate in their research. That’s all for now, though! Thanks for stopping back!

Have any thoughts on any of Kristian’s answers? Want to get involved in synesthesia research? Leave your comments and questions below!

Kandinsky’s Synesthetic Experiences

Born in Moscow, Russia in 1866, Kandinsky grew up a boy fascinated by color. Eventually, he would liken the painting process to that of orchestrating a musical composition. He wrote:

Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.

Needless to say, Kandinsky also believed in the spirituality of artwork. It is something that he would write about in length in his 1910 book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art. While skeptics have long debated the legitimacy of Kandinsky’s synesthesia (much as the mere existence of synesthesia has been debated), it seems to have played an undeniable, integral role in his life and artwork. He once described his discovery of the phenomenon – something that occurred during an opera performance in Moscow:

I saw all my colours in spirit, before my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were sketched in front of me.

A young Wassily is said to have heard a peculiar hissing sound when mixing different colored paints in his childhood paintbox. From what I can gather, this man was indeed an authentic synesthete. He evidently had quite the imagination; this, however, was not a figment of unreality.

Read more about Kandinsky’s experiences.

The Qualities of a Color

It’s clear that this man saw more in color than the common man or woman. To him, color was more than a quality of an object, more than an adjective. Color had its own meaning, its own depth, its own purpose in our world. His description of his favorite color, blue, included “it calls man towards the infinite” – a spiritual reference, no doubt, but an honest perspective, I believe.

It’s difficult to put yourself in Kandinsky’s frame of mind. It’s neat to think about, though. Let’s give it a try. Think about your favorite color, be it Tomato red, Holly green, Sienna orange, Caribbean blue, etc. Beyond its appearance, or how it appears when manifested physically, what does it mean to you? What does it represent? What is its purpose?

If I get some good responses, I’ll chime in with my thoughts on black, which isn’t as much a color as it is a shade, but it’ll do. Don’t be shy, people. Synesthete or not, I’d love to get some abstract thinking going. Do it for Kandinsky!

Leave your comments below, and I’ll respond promptly. Check out some more of Kandinsky’s artwork here.

Sequences in Physical Space

When we talk about visualizing sequences in physical space, we’re not talking about outer space. If you can see that far, you’re dealing with something far more esoteric and mystifying than synesthesia. In fact, we’re talking about the space around you – your “bubble”, if you will. If – when it comes to numbers, dates, and sequences – you visualize entities in your immediate vicinity, there’s a fair chance that you’re familiar with this type.

Spatial sequence synesthetes might have a tough time convincing their friends and family members that they’re seeing what they claim to be seeing. However, Dr. David Eagleman has no trouble believing in this phenomenon; after all, he is a neuroscientist (working at the Baylor College of Medicine, no less). Appropriately enough, Dr. Eagleman’s lab has actually developed a sort of virtual reality, in which synesthetes can map their spatial visualizations. The findings are quite interesting; you can get a quick briefing by reading his abstract. There are several takeaways, of course. What I find most compelling (and in hindsight intuitive) is that the research supported “the possibility that SSS is directly related to the sequence representations in nonsynesthetes” (Eagleman, 2009). Month visualizations, for instance, were generally mapped from left to right, which is consistent with the “directional bias” of Western speakers.

A Memory Advantage?

One study, conducted by Julia Simner of the University of Edinburgh in the UK, found that spatial sequence synesthetes have a built-in and automatic mnemonic reference. In other words, where the nonsynesthete needs to create a mnemonic device to remember a sequence (like “Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally.”), the synesthete can simply reference their spatial visualizations. Read the full coverage of this study on ScienceMag.org. It’s worth the five minutes it takes to peruse. So, really, there is a subtle memory advantage. It isn’t eidetic (or photographic), though.

This is certainly one of the most interesting forms of synesthesia that I’ve written on, and I’d love to learn more. Feel free to share your experiences anonymously, if you’d like! I’ve been tossing around the idea of publishing a collection of anonymous synesthetic experiences, with the thought that it might be beneficial for others to reference. Of course, all experiences published would be with the permission of the sharer, and (as I mentioned) each synesthetic experience would be published anonymously. Do share your thoughts on this, loyal readers!

That’s all for now, though! Whether tomorrow’s on your left or on your right, make it a fabulous day!

Credit for this image goes to People.Brunel.Ac.Uk

When it comes to standardized testing for synesthesia, you won’t find a more well developed, comprehensive collection of questions and tasks than the Synesthesia Battery. Developed in the laboratory of neurologist, Dr. David Eagleman, at the Baylor College of Medicine, the Battery provides individuals with a secure experience that fosters education and research on synesthesia. If you’re unfamiliar with Dr. Eagleman’s work, I recommend reading his and Richard E. Cytowic’s book – Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia. It’s a great read and provides some awesome insights into the mind of a synesthete. So, yeah, read it!

Testing for Synesthesia

Since most of you are here to find a test for synesthesia, I’ll first direct you to the Battery’s preview questionnaire, which should give you a general idea of whether or not you’re a synesthete. It consists of seven relatively straightforward questions, so don’t be intimidated. Just answer to the best of your ability. After you’ve answered the questions, click ‘Continue’ to see your results! If it turns out that your answers indicate that you might experience some forms of synesthesia, you’ll be greeted with a form through which you can sign up (for free) for the full battery of tests.

Wondering what the tests are like? You’re in luck! The Battery provides a pretty extensive preview of the questions/tests that you’ll encounter once you sign up, along with some demos to try out. The demos are pretty simple, but they give you a good idea of how things operate within the actual battery of tests. This grapheme-color demo, for instance, only illustrates the first portion of a multi-faceted test – but it does a good job of introducing the user to the general testing process.

Synesthesia Research

Testing is one thing, and it’s great for you – the user – but it’s all the more awesome when the results are used responsibly for research and development. The Synesthesia Battery provides researchers with secure standardized testing for their synesthetic subjects. All information, including test results, is kept private for each subject. Those being tested can specify an additional email (in most cases, the email of the researcher) to which they would like to grant access. This way, the researcher can log into synesthete.org (using the credentials that are emailed to him/her), and access the results of the test subject. Pretty cool, right?

Want to learn more about synesthesia research and the Synesthesia Battery? Check out this article/video from the Huffington Post, in which researcher Steffie Tomson talks about her research on synesthesia in Dr. Eagleman’s lab. It’s well worth a read/watch!

That’s all for now, everyone! Remember, if you have a vested interest in synesthesia, you might consider checking out Dr. Eagleman’s (and Richard Cytowic’s) book: Wednesday is Indigo Blue. It’s a great way to develop a more comprehensive understanding of synesthesia. Thanks, as always! See you next time!

What are your thoughts on synesthesia research? What tendencies might you explore if you had access to synesthetic test subjects? Let us know in the comments section!

First off, I have to say that I love the album’s song nomenclature for its simplicity alone. Each song, as you may have guessed, is named with a color. When you consider the actual naming convention, the album takes a completely different life. In composing each piece, Burke set out to tap into the listener’s subconscious, meticulously manipulating his hammers and strings in such a way that would actually invoke a sense of a given color in the listener’s mind. The color? The composition’s title, of course. Cobalt. Sage. Crimson. Violet. Take your pick. There are 10 compositions in total.

The Music to Color Test

Alright, you’re here for a test, so a test you shall get. The premise behind sound to color synesthesia is that certain sounds invoke a given color in the synesthete’s mind. Typically, we might say that the sounds (or triggers) are more generic and defined, rather than multiple-minute compositions, but for our purposes, Burke’s compositions will be a bit more compelling. Just a bit.

Anyways, on this page, where Burke describes his idea for the album, you can listen to three of the selections. The challenge, as Burke has prescribed on the page, is to listen to the compositions and then compare any color visualizations that you may have to the piece’s title. Now, obviously, you’ll see the title first. However, the exact colors won’t be immediately recallable. Give the songs a listen, and if you have any sound to color experiences, find an exact representation of the title color and compare. Who knows; you might surprise yourself!

More Music & Testing

If you have any synesthetic experiences with the three available selections, you might consider purchasing the album and experimenting with the other compositions. Another option is trying individual pieces. Even if your perceived colors don’t match up with the song titles, it might be interesting to compare them with those of other users. So, yeah, I strongly encourage sharing.

Results or not, I do recommend adding the album to your collection. Not only is it a great example of synesthesia as an artform, but it’s also quite enjoyable. I’m partial to ‘Indigo’, in particular. Very relaxing music, all around. Take a listen and let me know what you think!

That’s all for now! Again, if you get a chance to listen to John Burke’s free selections, let us know which colors, if any, you involuntarily visualize. We’re eager to hear from you! See you next time! Happy listening!

The Game: Speed Match

Lumosity has a boatload of great games for boosting your memory and mental fortitude, but for our purposes (and largely in the spirit of this blog and its topic of synesthesia), I chose to use the Speed Match game. Not only is it pretty simple, but it also reminds me of some of the things we discussed when talking about the high-functioning savant, Daniel Tammet. Anyways, the objective of this game is to indicate whether or not the symbol or shape matches the one that appeared immediately before it. There is a time stipulation of 45 seconds, so you’ll want to hurry! That’s the gist of it, though.

While this game is free to play, you can gain access to a personalized set of brain exercises by signing up for a 14-day free trial. It’s not required, obviously, but if you find yourself having fun and being challenged by some of the free games, I think it’s a must-try. Plus, the trial is completely free, and you can opt out at any time, free of charge. Back to Speed Match, though! Give it a try! The first round is for practice. On your second run, record your score (or take a screenshot). We’ll need your results to make this a success!

Comparing Results

So, it’s the moment of truth. How did you do? Were you impressed with your performance on the second try, as opposed to the first? Does that old brain need a little dusting off? Don’t sweat it. This is mostly for fun. Anyways, I’ll share my results below. On my first play, I think I scored somewhere in the 540-560 point range. Interestingly enough, my results seemed to improve drastically with just one try under my belt. Here are the stats from trial two:

Category: Non-synesthete
Reaction Time: 1036 ms
Accuracy: 100%
Total Correct: 36
Points: 940

Not too shabby, eh? Well, who knows, really. Until we see some of your results, we won’t know how well I did (relatively speaking). The more, the better – obviously. You can submit your results in the comments of this post using your first name, a nickname, or completely anonymous. We’re not so much concerned with who is contributing as we are with what is being contributed. That said, I’ll go ahead and thank all of those who do contribute in advance . Remember, when you post your results, if you’d be so kind as to include which category you fall into: non-synesthete, synesthete, unsure, or some abnormal brain function. No personal information will be published in my follow-up – only inferences from the overall data set! Does it sound like a plan? Good! I look forward to hearing from some of you soon!

If it’s more convenient, you can use our contact form to submit your results. Just put “Speed Match” in the subject line! Thanks for reading! Again, if you enjoyed the free game from Lumosity, chances are that you’ll love the personalized trial program! Sign up while it’s free! See you soon!

Defining ‘Involuntary’

As there are two definitive elements to this question, we’ll address each individually. First up is the term ‘involuntary’. If experiences are involuntary, they aren’t a result of will, purposeful association, or mnemonic aptitude. In other words, you aren’t “trying” to experience or perceive something a certain way. Also, the experience usually isn’t one that’s naturally intuitive. For instance, if you associate the number ’2′ with the letter ‘B’, it likely isn’t indicative of synesthesia. ‘B’ is the second letter in the alphabet; it only makes sense.

If, however, your experiences are triggered involuntarily (or by some external factor – separate from your own will), you may pass GO, collect $200, and spend it as you please. Maybe buy a loved one something nice for Valentine’s day – I don’t know; just an idea.

Defining ‘Consistent’

The consistency of your experiences can also be very telling. Neurologist and renowned synesthesia researcher, Richard Cytowic lists the following as one of the main criteria for identifying synesthesia: “Synesthetic percepts are consistent and generic.” The example that I use (probably too frequently) is the case of a true grapheme-color synesthete – for whom each letter in the alphabet triggers a given color in his or her mind’s eye. Now, each time the letter is physically seen, the synesthete perceives it as having one color – a color that is consistently and involuntarily associated with the particular letter. If the letter ‘A’ is red, it is always red. If ‘Z’ is yellow, it is always yellow. That’s consistency.

Since I’ve opened the ‘generic’ can, I’ll explain that, as well. The term ‘generic’ refers to percepts that are simple, rather than extravagant. For instance, when a given synesthete hears a certain tone, he or she might picture a black square in space. For another tone, perhaps an orange square is visualized. Notice the pattern? The shapes are simple, or generic – not grand visualizations of colors dancing around in harmony. While this concept has been disputed (and there are always exceptions), it’s certainly worth considering.

Moving Forward

Now that I’ve explained the question (or disambiguated it, if you will), ask yourself again: Are my synesthetic experiences involuntary and consistent? If not, well, you’re with the other 198 of us out of a 200 person sample size. If so, you might want to seek out more information about the condition. Either way, this is a great place to start.

If you enjoyed this post, please stop back! We’re in the process of developing an interactive test for synesthesia and would love it if you were around for its release! Follow us on Twitter for updates @SynesthesiaTest. Farewell, friends.

The experiment, first conducted by Kohler on the island of Tenerife (whose occupants primarily speak Spanish), consisted of the psychologist showing subjects a picture of two figures (very similar to those shown below) and asking them which was named “takete” and which was named “baluba”. Interestingly enough, the results were overwhelmingly similar – the data revealing that the majority of test subjects assigned the name “takete” to the jagged, star-like shape (on the left) and “baluba” to the blobbish, rounded shape (on the right).

Over a half a century later, in 2001, a nearly identical experiment was conducted by Vilayanur Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard – using the names “kiki” and “bouba” rather than “takete” and “baluba”. In using American college students and Tamil speakers in India as subjects, the two found that 95-98% assigned the name “bouba” to the rounded shape and “kiki” to the jagged. Pretty cool, huh? So, what are the implications? What does this have to do with having synesthesia?

Synesthesia-Like Mappings

Born from the original experiment (by Kohler) and those subsequent is the “Bouba-Kiki Effect” – a strong suggestion that the naming of objects (whatever those objects may be) is not entirely arbitrary. Instead, names may be derived from the way formations of specific sounds relate to the physical attributes of objects. This may sound confusing, and it probably is, but it’s also somewhat intuitive. For instance, in the case of our experiment, subjects may have been more inclined to assign the name “bouba” to the rounded shape because, when spoken, the pronunciation of that name requires a more rounded mouth. Similarly, the K sound in “kiki” is harder – more jagged, if you will. We’re just scratching the surface, obviously.

The connections drawn between the neurological condition of synesthesia and the Bouba-Kiki Effect are fairly obvious. In fact, the effect has been described as being representative of “synesthesia-like mappings” in the brain, where one sense has a steadfast, underlying connection to another. We’ve discussed personification previously, and for me, this concept of sound symbolism is just another gateway through which personalities can be assigned to and perceived from inanimate objects. Interesting – to say the least.

Test or Not a Test?

All things considered, I’d say that the Bouba-Kiki image (and question) is less of a synesthesia test, and more of an insightful look into the condition itself. For me, it’s affirmation that we all have a little synesthete in us. What do you think?